DETROIT  The Detroit Lions have suspended defensive line coach Joe Cullen for Sunday's regular-season opener against Seattle because of his two recent arrests, NFL sources told the Free Press Thursday.

Lions coach Rod Marinelli informed the players of the suspension during a team meeting Thursday morning, but he declined to discuss the situation when he met with the media after practice Thursday afternoon.

"I'm not going to talk about Joe right now," Marinelli said. "It's an in-house decision what we're dealing with. The team knows, I know, and that's what's important."

Cullen coached the defensive line as usual Thursday and is expected to continue coaching in practice. He was unavailable for comment.

Lions chief operating officer Tom Lewand declined to comment, and team president Matt Millen could not be reached for comment.

Cullen met with the defensive linemen Wednesday.

"He was just like, 'This is what happened. I apologize,' " defensive end Kalimba Edwards said. "He was real professional about it."

Cullen was arrested and charged with indecent and obscene conduct Aug. 24, the night before the Lions' third exhibition at Oakland. A worker at a Dearborn fast-food drive-thru window saw him naked behind the wheel of his SUV and called the police, according to police reports.

Then Cullen was arrested and charged with drunken driving Sept. 1, the night after the Lions' exhibition finale against Buffalo. After he sped down a Dearborn street without his headlights on, someone called the police, and when the police found him, a breath test determined his blood-alcohol content was .12, over the legal limit, according to police reports.

"In pro football — in life, period — in this day and age, it's hard to be shocked by anything," Edwards said. "When he told us, we were just like, 'All right. We play football on Sunday, dog. Keep on coaching. We're going to keep on playing.' "

Some players learned of the incidents by listening to sports talk radio as they drove to team headquarters Thursday morning.

The defensive linemen insisted they could see Cullen the same way they had before and respect his authority.

"The thing is, he's a Lion, he's family and we're going to support him because all he does is support us," defensive tackle Tyoka Jackson said.

"As a professional athlete, man, what goes on in a person's personal life ain't got nothing to do with the job," Edwards said. "All kinds of stuff's going on in these cats' lives. You've still got to go out and play ball on Sunday."

Cullen, 38, is a longtime college assistant with at least two controversial incidents on his resume. Marinelli hired him from Illinois, where Cullen also worked with the defensive line.

The Lions released a statement from Cullen:

"I would like to apologize to the Detroit Lions organization, our fans, my family and friends for any embarrassment these incidents have caused. These incidents represent a mistake in judgment on my part. I deeply regret them and have learned a valuable lesson. It won't happen again."

The Lions said Cullen had requested "treatment."

Court records say the nudity incident happened Aug. 24 about 11:15 p.m. Police stopped Cullen in his car, which was traveling eastbound on Michigan near Lapham Street. The ticket does not provide any other information about why Cullen allegedly was nude. The Lions said alcohol was involved.

A week later, Dearborn police again arrested Cullen, this time Sept. 1 about 11:48 p.m. Court records show Cullen had a blood alcohol content of .12 after police stopped his 2006 Ford Explorer as it traveled west on Michigan near Tenny. Michigan law sets .08 as the legal limit.

Cullen, who lives in Dearborn, is scheduled to appear in 19th District Court next week on both cases.

Millen released this statement: "We are obviously very disappointed. These are very serious matters that will be handled sternly and appropriately by our organization. Coach Cullen requested immediate help in seeking treatment. That assistance has been provided and a comprehensive, private program has been established for him."

In 2003, when Cullen was at Indiana, the athletic director publicly reprimanded him for slapping a player's helmet during a game against Michigan State. Cullen told the Indianapolis Star that he was simply trying to get the player "a little fired up down in the red zone."

Cullen was fired from Mississippi in early 2005 after an arrest for public drunkenness in a restaurant.

The episodes raise questions about how thoroughly the Lions vetted Cullen before hiring him for his first NFL job, and how much importance they place on good citizenship.

Ole Miss athletic director Pete Boone said Wednesday that no one from the Lions contacted him for a reference.

Cullen sued over his firing and the parties reached an undisclosed settlement. He spent last season as a graduate assistant at Illinois under Ron Zook.

Marinelli and Millen declined to comment on what they knew before hiring Cullen, saying the issue was personal and confidential. But the coaching fraternity is a small one, word travels fast and being fired from a major college program would be hard to keep secret.

From the day he was hired in January, Marinelli has talked about the importance of character. But he refers to "football character" — things like work ethic, toughness and intensity.

Cullen, a fiery coach who screamed so much during the preseason that he lost his voice, likely is Marinelli's type of man on a football level. Marinelli was a defensive line coach his entire career before he became a head coach, and he still works closely with Cullen's line.

Cullen also has coached at Memphis, Richmond, Louisiana State and Massachusetts, where he played nose guard from 1986-89. He started 45 straight games for the Minutemen, was team MVP as a senior and was a three-time All-Yankee Conference selection. The Lions media guide makes no mention of his time at Ole Miss.

Cullen is listed on his Illinois driver's license as being 6 feet and 225 pounds.